D-Day Hero's Sacrifice Remembered

I wanted to acknowledge a great email I got the other day from Bob and Elle Conti of Bethlehem

They read my piece this summer on D-Day hero Technical Sgt. William R. Benn of Bethlehem Township, who is honored in the Sacrifice Gallery at the Cambridge American Cemetery in England. Knowing they would be visiting Cambridge in a couple of months, they clipped the article.

“We went to the American Cemetery today,” they wrote, “and met Arthur Brookes, the interpretive guide at the site. He had done the research on Sgt. Benn and took us to his plaque in the Sacrifice Gallery. We were then taken to his grave. [Photos of both were attached.} We have been to the cemetery many times since first coming to Cambridge in 1990, but this was the most emotional, since the sacrifices honored there were so personalized by William Benn’s heroism.”

Here’s what the text of Benn’s Sacrifice plaque says:

"Technical Sergeant Benn arrived in Great Britain in July 1942. He first saw action in North Africa, where he single-handedly captured 28 German soldiers. After participating in the Sicily invasion, Benn returned to prepare for the Normandy landings. He came ashore with the first assault waves on D-Day and was seriously wounded while leading his platoon in an attack on an enemy gun emplacement overlooking Omaha Beach. Although safety evacuated, he later died of his injuries. Benn posthumously received the Distinguished Service Cross."

William received the Silver Star and Purple Heart in addition to the Distinguished Service Cross. The citation accompanying his posthumous Distinguished Service Cross recognizes his "extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving with Company A, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, in action against enemy forces on 6 June 1944, in France. Technical Sergeant Benn landed on the coast of France with the initial assault waves under heavy enemy small arms, mortar and rocket fire. His platoon leader was seriously wounded as soon as they reached the beach and he immediately assumed command. He led his platoon under heavy enemy fire through an uncharted minefield and up the steep slope toward the enemy positions. The intense enemy fire caused several casualties and threatened to stop the advance. Technical Sergeant Benn, completely disregarding his own safety, advanced alone toward the enemy positions, silencing their guns. Though seriously wounded in the course of this action, Technical Sergeant Benn persisted in his efforts until he had carried out his self-appointed mission. Technical Sergeant Benn's aggressive leadership, personal bravery and zealous devotion to duty exemplify the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States and reflect great credit upon himself, the 1st Infantry Division, and the United States Army."

I mailed the Contis’ note and photos to William’s sister, Edith, who still was emotional about William and his sacrifice when we talked this summer.

What struck me about a place like the Cambridge American Cemetery is that it must be overwhelming. Nearly 9,000 members of the U.S. armed forces are buried or memorialized there, a sea of white crosses.

I suspect it’s easier to really grasp what all those graves mean when you can identify with at least one soldier, his story and the family he left behind. Each of those crosses and plaques represents a life just as precious as this one, lost to the horrors of war.